Roof-climber.



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'JAMES BAKER AND .CHARLES F. KETCHEM, OF CORNISH, INDIAN TERRITORY, ASSIGNORS lOF ONE-THIRD TO A. S. HATHAWAY, OF LOCO, INDIAN TERRITORY; SAID BAKER ASSIGNOR OF HIS RIGHT TO J. B.' OVERSTREETQOF LOCO, INDIAN TERRITORY.

ROOF-CLI'MBER.

y Speccation ofjLetters Patent. Application tied Detember 11.1903. serial No. 1841.847'.

Patentednee. 5, 1905.

To a/ZZ whom it may con/cern,.-

Be it known that we, JAMES S. BAKER and CHARLES F. KETCHEM, citizens of the United States, and residents of Cornish, in the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, have made certain new and useful Improvements Ain Roof- Climbers, of which the following is aspecication. -1

Our invention is an improvement in that class of devices which are adapted to be attached to the feet to enable the wearer to walk or otherwise support himself upon shingle or other sloping wooden roofs. By means of said devices the use of wooden brackets or scaffolds may be dispensed with for the purpose of supporting the wearer on sloping roofs, and thereby a`great economy of'time and labor effected in the shingling or repair of roofs. l

The invention is embodied in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main portion of ourimprovement, no means for attaching it to the foot of the wearer beingshown. Fig. 2 is a face view of one of the main attachments to the foot-piece. Fig. Sis a perspective view of the roof-climber complete.

. axis of the kfoot-piece.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the position assumed by the roof-climber when in use upon a sloping roof. 4

A indicates an oblong wooden piece, which is shown in Fig. 3 to be provided with heel and toe straps o a substantially in the manner of a well-known class of ladies skates. The attachments of the base of the foot-piece A, by which the wearer is enabled to walk or otherwise support himself 'upon a sloping roof, are as follows:

B and C indicate the two similar supports, which are constructed of metal, preferably plate-Steel, and secured to the under side of the foot-piece A at pointsmidway between the center and ends of the latter and transverse or at right angles to the longitudinal At its lower corners the plate-support B is provided with claws b, which are turned in opposite directions. The main plate-support`C is similarly provided with claws c. The portion of each of the supports B C which intervenes their respective claws or prongs is straight. Laterallyprojecting claws D E are provided at points immediately above the respectivevertical supports B and C. As shown in Fig. 2, the parts B and C are preferablyconstructed as permanent attachments of lateral projections D and E, the two parts being in each case riveted to the foot-piece-A. The-parts D E are narrow metal straps, preferably steel, their lateral projecting ends being curved slightly downward and provided with claws or prongs al and e, respectively, which intervene shoulders d and e', respectively. The rear end of the foot-piece A is provided with a claw G, which is extended rearward and curved downwar`d. To the rear foot-support B is attached another heel-piece F, (see Fig. 1,) which is provided with arms having claws f, constructed substantially like those which are formed on the lateral projections D- and E.

The vertical supports B and C are provided on their adjacent inner sides. respectively, with inclined braces b and c. The upper ends of these braces are attached to the foot-pieceA at points -which are in practice `about one and one-half inches apart, which spaceenables the wearer of the-roof-climber to ascend and descend a lad der with ease, since it is wide enough to receive the rungs of the same. It will be understood that in practice a workman or other person having occasion to work upon a sloping roof willattach aclimber to each foot. By placing one or both feet in such position that the climber or climbers are inclined, as shown in Fig. 4, it is apparent that the claws' on the lower side will engage the shingles, so as to prevent slipping. It will be seen that the shoulders d. and of the re spective'lateral prongs D E will prevent the claws d e from entering the shingles so deeply to reverse his position on the roof, so as to face in the opposite direction, the heel-claw G may be set in the shingles and used as a IOO turning-point. n case the workman desires to descend the roof the'claws F and G enable him to do so without danger of slipping. The straight portion of the lower edge of the vertical supportsB and C, which intervenes their respective claws, enables a person to walk upon a ioor or other iat surface if occasion requires.

What we claim isl. 'lheimproved roof-climbing device, comprising a foot-piece provided with devices for attachment to the foot of the wearer and having transverse supports provided with claws at their lower corners, the portion intervening said claws being straight to form a treadsurface, and the claws being retracted so that they do not project below the plane of the portion intervening them, substantially as described. l

2. The improved roof-climbing device, comprising a foot-piece having foot attachments,

J. S. BAKER. C. F. KETCHEM.

Witnesses:

W. A. WILSON, W. J. CLowDUs. 

